DUNGEON MAGIC

 Even two years after the NES was first released in this country, although there
were already many dozens of arcade-style running, jumping, and shooting games,
there were no computer-style role-playing games (CRPGs). Apparently, they were
considered too sophisticated and complex for the average Nintendo gamer.
Fortunately, that narrow and unflattering view has changed, due mostly to the
amazing popularity of arcade/CRPG hybrids like LEGEND OF ZELDA. Now there are
RPGs for Nintendo that nearly match the computer-based games in length, detail,
and challenge (if not in graphic aspects). DUNGEON MAGIC is such a game -- long
and difficult, requiring an extraordinary amount of perseverance. There are some
flaws that prevent DUNGEON MAGIC from being a totally top-of-the-line product,
but it's still highly enjoyable. It also qualifies as a hybrid arcade/CRPG,
since combat relies on a quick firing finger and deft joystick-wiggling. (This
review is based on the Nintendo version.)

 Many years ago, so the story goes, a great warrior named Magi did battle with a
villainous Overlord called Darces. Magi had the use of a magical set of armor
and six powerful swords, the Swords of the Elements. The sixth sword in
particular was revered for its magical properties. Christened "Tores," the sword
was forged from a mysterious metallic element of uncertain origin.
Unfortunately, not even the armor and Tores were enough to save Magi from
Darces's fatal blow (to his credit, Magi was over 500 years old at the time!).
Darces is still at large, so your goal is to retrieve the armor, the five
Elemental swords, and Tores, and confront him.

 That's going to be a tough journey. The armor and the swords are hidden in
towns, villages, sanctuaries, and dungeons all over the Kingdom of Grades. In
typical CRPG format, certain areas and locations are off-limits to a character
whose hit points (endurance), armor, weaponry, and magical knowledge are less
than adequate. So you must confine yourself to certain areas of the game while
you build up experience points and treasure, both of which are gained from
defeating other characters in combat. Your weapons and supplies have as much to
do with your success in combat as your reflexes, but those weapons and supplies
increase steadily in price, according to the degree of offensive or defensive
strength they offer.

 The system by which you learn to use magical spells is unusual. There are five
wizards, each of whom can teach you his own "brand" of magic (water magic, earth
magic, etc.). You can begin the game with any one brand of magic, but you need
to earn the others by giving each Elemental sword to the proper wizard. In
return, the wizard teaches you his magical knowledge. Each brand of magic is
based on four symbols, and the symbols are combined in various ways to create
spells. For example, one Wizard may teach you the symbols #, @, %, and !; if you
tried %!, you'd get one spell, while @@ might be another, and so on. Individual
symbols and larger combinations also work. The magic system takes a lot of
effort to master, because the spells are _not_ documented in the manual! By
trying different combinations, notating them and their effects, you eventually
build your own library of spells (there are over a hundred possible spells).

 While it's great to encounter a game that doesn't have a trite magical system,
this one seems a bit on the tedious side. It's not so much the fault of the game
itself as it is the fault of the graphics: The symbols are quite small and
present a formidable menu late in the game, where you may need to mix symbols
from more than one Brand. Due to the limitations of the keyboard-less Nintendo,
creating spells is a lot like entering passwords; it takes a while, and if you
have to experiment to find useful combinations, it becomes old quickly. Spells
can be created and held temporarily for use in combat, and you can also "parry"
(back off) so that you can quickly ready a spell, change weapons, etc.

 A few features common to CRPGs were conspicuous by their absence. You cannot
de-equip a weapon. This means you can't sell it once you've equipped it, a major
hassle. The only way to drop a sword is to pick up another one (at least, the
only way I found, and there's no method mentioned in the manual). Every store
sells the same item for the same price, so there's no sense of having to "shop
around" for the best price on this sword or that sword, and there's no haggling
-- an interesting feature of other CRPGs. There's no explanatory status screen,
which means there's no way to display your maximum hit points (only your current
hit point level is displayed). There are no statistics for your intelligence,
agility, etc., for your armor and weapon strength, or for time elapsed. There
_are_ readouts for the weight of the objects you're carrying, how much food and
water you're carrying, and the hit points of the enemy during combat. There is
also no auto-mapping, so you'll need graph paper to tackle the dungeons and
mazes.

 The graphics aren't great, but there are lots of them. The main window, which
takes up about a quarter of the screen, gives a first-person perspective of your
location, with stone floors, walls, ceilings, doorways, stairs, chests, and
other characters becoming larger as you get closer. The pictures are somewhat
crude and the animation is very jerky, but it works sufficiently to give you a
sense of being there. The lower half of the screen contains a status readout, a
static image of yourself (showing which weapons and armor you're currently
equipped with), and a small icon-driven menu bar (more tiny symbols). Sit up
close for this one, or you're liable to develop a real headache trying to make
out some of those icons.

 There's little music in the game, but there are plenty of sound effects, and
they're adequate -- at times, quite decent. There's also a battery backup so you
can save one game in progress, a game which can only be restored when you turn
on or reset the NES. The manual scores an A; aside from the lack of a spell
roster (which, again, is part of the game), it does a great job of explaining
the menuing system. That system makes extensive use of the SELECT and START
buttons, as well as the A and B buttons, really turning this into a four-button
game! There's also a separate map of the Kingdom (with a poster on the other
side).

 DUNGEON MAGIC is a class package. The story remains interesting throughout the
game (there's a lot of conversation with townspeople and other characters); its
pace is fairly even, and of course, the battery backup is an obvious advantage.
There's plenty to explore and a good deal of flexibility in the order in which
you accomplish the minor subquests. The unusually innovative magic system is
noteworthy, too. The disadvantages are the lack of RPG depth in character
development, fair graphics, a few missing menu options, some very tiny icons,
and the simplistic arcade combat system. Thus, DUNGEON MAGIC may disappoint
players looking for CRPG depth on the order of ULTIMA: QUEST OF THE AVATAR or
THE MAGICIAN, but it will reward those who enjoy something not quite so intense.

 DUNGEON MAGIC is published and distributed by Taito.

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